Location: Pax River, MD

[Brandi]

please note, all of these questions are generic and will be asked for all locations so some may sound silly. The questions underneath each area are only there to help you think. Please feel free to skip things that don't apply or to elaborate on things that I did not mention.

Housing:
(How is military housing there? Which area did you live in and did you like it? Is it affordable to buy or rent in town and if so what areas would you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)


Schools:
(Which schools did your kids attend? Did you like them? Did your kids like them? How do you think the school system was overall? Any schools you would recommend over others? Did you go to college while you were there? If so, which college and how did you like it? Any additional thoughts?)


Shopping:
(How are the commissary and NEX? Do you shop there or out in town? What stores are available out in town? What is the local shopping like? Malls? Any places you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)


Cost of living:
(What is the cost of living like? High? Average? Low? How did it effect your family? Was there anything special you had to do to make ends meet? Any additional thoughts?)


Military Community:
(How is the military community? Are there resources for family and spouses? Any likes or gripes? Additional thoughts?)


Recreation:
(What is there to do in the area for adults? For kids/families? Is there anything within a few hours driving distance?)


Weather:
(What's the weather like? Mild? Seasonal? Hot? Humid? Rainy? Cold? Are there seasons?)


Overall:
(Would you go back again? Why or why not? What are your main likes and gripes?)

[mossey2000]

Housing:
The base housing isnt the best but Ive heard they are building new ones. Houses start in the 200's. Rent 1000 minimum for a decent place.


Schools:
(Which schools did your kids attend? Did you like them? Did your kids like them? How do you think the school system was overall? Any schools you would recommend over others? Did you go to college while you were there? If so, which college and how did you like it? Any additional thoughts?)
Not sure but the test scores didnt look promising

Shopping:
(How are the commissary and NEX? Do you shop there or out in town? What stores are available out in town? What is the local shopping like? Malls? Any places you recommend? Any additional thoughts?) An hour to a mall. Small Old Navy, Best Buy etc and Target


Cost of living:
(What is the cost of living like? High? Average? Low? How did it effect your family? Was there anything special you had to do to make ends meet? Any additional thoughts?) High, I had to work till the last year there.


Military Community:
(How is the military community? Are there resources for family and spouses? Any likes or gripes? Additional thoughts?)
Ok, mainly a civilian base

Recreation:
(What is there to do in the area for adults? For kids/families? Is there anything within a few hours driving distance?)
Great if you like the water and outdoors.
Weather:
(What's the weather like? Mild? Seasonal? Hot? Humid? Rainy? Cold? Are there seasons?)
loved the seasons.

[andrea]

Housing:
Base housing is good; we lived there for a few months. There is no wait for housing. When we walked into the housing office they were able to show us 3-4 houses that we could choose from (all 3 bedrooms and it was only my husband and me). But I think they are going to tear down all of the on-base housing and move everything off-base. From what I heard they are going to move it behind Target. So I don't know what its going to look like. When we lived there they had just privatized everything and we were able to live there for 2 months with no long term lease. We lived in Loveville Court, I really liked it. It was walking distance to the river. Now we own, our BAH covers our mortgage and a few bills. But we bought back in 2004 when prices hadn't skyrocketed yet. Our mortgage is actually lower than our rent was when we lived off base (Spyglass Apartments in Cedar Cove--very nice, right on the water with private beach and pool, also right near the 3rd gate), I highly suggest it if you can afford it.) We had friends that moved out here in June 2003, bought a town home for $140,000 and just sold it two months ago for $220,000. If you have the money, live in Wildwood or Leonardtown, but there is more reasonably priced housing in Great Mills and Lexington Park (although there are some areas in Lexington Park that you want to stay away from.--like any where on Great Mills Road or Shangri-La.)


Schools:
I don't have kids, so I don't know the school systems personally, but I haven't heard anything good. I got my AA from the College of Southern Maryland in Leonardtown. They have an alliance program with UMUC where they offer 19 bachelor degrees completely online. I really like the college here. The College of Southern Maryland has an amazing 2-year nursing program, but it is hard to get into. Military gets in state rates which are around $93 a credit.

Shopping:
I like the NEX, it's a pretty good size, and I go there a few times a month. I like the commissary, it is cheaper, but they don't have a very good selection of fresh fruits and veggies. I don't go out of my way to go there, plus sometimes the shelves can be pretty empty after a big rush. I shop out in town because it’s a better selection and closer to where I live. Shopping is okay. We have a Ross, Old Navy, Pet Co, Wal-Mart, Target, Michaels, Staples, BJ's, Bath and Body Works, Hallmark, etc, etc. The nearest mall is 45 minutes away in Waldorf, and the Arundel Mills mall (which is HUGE) is about an hour and 40 minutes away.

Cost of living:
The cost of living is fairly high (nothing compared to a big city though). A 5 bedroom house will run you about $350,0000. It hasn't really effected us at all, we don't have to do anything special to make ends meet.

Military Community:
I haven’t really noticed a "military community" feel. The base here is mostly civilians. I've never had a problem with the medical center on base, plus it is so small they refer you out for just about anything.

Recreation:
If you want to drive, DC is about an hour and a 1/2 away (or you can take the metro right outside of Waldorf). It's a great place to go on a nice day. Several free museums, monuments, and I think the zoo is free too. Baltimore is okay, but you really have to search for something to do. There is the inner harbor with shops, a science museum, and aquarium (both are pricey and a long wait during the summer). The Redskins are popular, and DC just got a new baseball team, The Nationals. Annapolis is the sailing capital of the US. Ocean City is about 3 hours way and very popular with teenagers. Virginia Beach is about 3 hours away too. There are local seafood festivals all the time. And there are always billboards on busy street corners announcing new events. My friends and I go to the local bars, that’s always a good time.


Weather:
I love the weather. It’s warm in the summer, spring and fall. Winter is mild, but it can get down to below freezing in January in the middle of the night. It can be humid sometimes in the summer, but its livable. And it can sprinkle snow in the winter, but it never sticks.


Overall:
I would come back here again. I really like it here. It’s beautiful and warm.

__________________

My fiance is stationed there and will be for another year. the base is nice... ive only been there once but the main thing is that their is NOTHING around there!!!! the mall is an hour and a half away along with anything else you want to do... when you leave the base, there is a target and a walmart and a chicflia and thats pretty much it! im going back up there for 12 days on the 20th!! let me know if there is anything specific you would like me to find out.

[Shaky]

Went here to visit and there was nothing to do there other than the beach on base. You can drive to DC, that's nice.

[PrincessBlue505]

DC is supposed to have a lot of crime. Does this affect the base area? Do you feel safe around the base, or is it a more run down area?

[andrea]

Originally Posted by PrincessBlue505 DC is supposed to have a lot of crime. Does this affect the base area? Do you feel safe around the base, or is it a more run down area?

Its over an hour to DC, so no, I don't typically see crime from DC spill over into this area. I feel safe here (we moved down here from Brunswick -- so I know how safe it is up there), but there are some neighborhoods to stay away from here (parts of Lexington Park). I would say that most of the surrounding area is very nice, not run down at all, and they are acutally building a lot of new houses around here.

[PrincessBlue505]

That is encouraging. We're thinking about it for our duty station after our next one (we already have orders for our next one). But I'd heard bad things, so it's good to know they were wrong.

[mossey2000]

Yeah just be careful where in Lexington Park you live. Not all is bad but basically any apartments but the Cove are a no go. We lived in a townhouse in Southgate and it was decent.

There are some new(well to me) apartments near Forest Glen housing and they seem to be nice. We have friends that live there and are really happy there.